Two North Atlantic right whales, a critically endangered species, have been seen entangled in fishing gear off the coast of Massachusetts. With fewer than 400 of these whales remaining, the sighting is raising serious concerns among conservationists. According to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), the whales—an adult and a juvenile—were observed southeast of […]
Tag: Massachusetts
In Conservation Success Story, Massachusetts Piping Plovers Have Their Second Record Nesting Year in a Row
For the second year in a row, Massachusetts beaches have recorded more nesting Piping Plovers than anytime in the last four decades — 1,196 nesting pairs, a 1.5 percent increase over 2023 and a 500 percent jump since the program began, according to preliminary data gathered by MassWildlife’s Natural Heritage & Endangered Species Program and […]
Black-throated Blue Warbler
For two years now I have been writing about the beasts that share our wildlife habitat here in Western Massachusetts. One installment a month published over at Native Plants and Wildlife Gardens. This month, while most of these birds would be nearing their overwinter sites, I offer the twenty-fourth installment of ‘A Bestiary . . […]
Back To Cooler Garden Days of June ~ Roses, Mauves, Reds and Bluebird Broods
July has been a sultry mix so far with last night’s “humiture” becoming more bearable or wearable I might say. I find it amusing that a former weatherman and gardener of the nameGeorge Winterling developed what we know as the ‘heat index’ . . . where the temperature of the air and that of the […]
Flower Hill Farm Spring Butterflies ~ Part Two
Spring precipitates into summer and we can easily recognize the longest day of the year by how we measure time in our hurried lives. Spring or Summer Azure Celastrina ladon, Form violacea (and others)is another matter . . . as the butterflies are difficult to identify. The more experienced butterfly watchers of the invaluableMassachusetts Butterfly […]
King Eider (Somateria spectabilis)
One of the prettiest ducks that winter in the Massachusetts area is the King Eider. Over the last few years, I’ve been looking for the King Eider, in order to obtain some decent photographs of this beautiful bird. A few years ago, on a birding festival on Cape Ann, I saw the bird and obtained […]
Lesser Black-backed Gull (Larus fuscus) A Winter Visitor
Lesser Black-backed Gull (Larus fuscus) is a winter visitor to the East Coast of North America. The birds that are found here probably come from the breeding population in Iceland. The Lesser Black-backed Gull breeds in the Atlantic coasts of Europe and migrates in the winter. From the British Isles self to West Africa. Every […]
Sandhill Cranes throughout the United States
Sandhill cranes are one of my favorite birds. I have yet to see them during spring migration in Nebraska, where it gets its name because of the Nebraska’s sandhills. However, I have observed them, and photograph them in Florida, the subspecies in Florida is considered endangered, New Mexico at Bosque del Apache, and the cranberry […]